Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Moon of the Crusted Snow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Technology, Society, and Survival
Colonialism, Oppression, and Trauma
Selfishness vs. Selflessness
Gender, Power, and Wisdom
Summary
Analysis
Evan, Nicole, Maiingan, and Nangohns dine on roasted moose, the last of their potatoes, and canned corn. Evan savors his potatoes, knowing that he might not taste them again for a while. The pace of their lives has slowed: each night, they eat slowly and play cards or board games after dinner. Tonight, Nicole teaches the children the word for “moose” in Anishinaabemowin. Evan feels proud, recalling how his generation mostly spoke English, because his parents were shamed for speaking Ojibwe at the “church-run schools.” He’s proud that his children have Anishinaabemowin names: Maiingan means “wolf,” and Nangohns means “little star.”
Evan reveals that his parents’ generation faced prejudices for speaking their indigenous language (which Rice interchangeably calls Anishinaabemowin or Ojibwe) as they attended Christian, English-speaking schools. This, in turn, discouraged them from teaching Evan’s generation their indigenous language. This is one example of how colonialist oppression still cripples indigenous cultures today. Nonetheless, First Nations people remain resilient, and Evan and Nicole have worked hard to recover knowledge of their native language and pass it on before it’s lost to history.
Themes
Evan clears the table; he’ll wash the dishes in cold water later to save fuel. Then, he leaves to check up on his brother Cam. Most homes along the route are dark—it seems that people are heeding the advice to conserve energy. Nobody answers the door at Cam’s, so Evan walks in. A thick haze of cigarette smoke fills the room—Cam is having a small party. Evan is immediately annoyed, as the music and toilet flushes seem wasteful. Evan coldly greets Cam, who’s drunk and cracking jokes about survival. He asks if Cam has enough food and wood, and Cam drunkenly nods.
Cam’s lifestyle, in contrast to Evan’s, focuses on wasting precious energy reserves to enjoy the present moment, rather than conserving energy for the future. It also suggests that Cam is so used to relying on technology and modern conveniences that he doesn’t even try to adjust his lifestyle in preparation for the long winter.
Themes
Evan walks into the next room, where hip-hop music blares from a speaker. Scott is sitting in a corner with a girl named Jenna on his lap, and he greets Evan warmly. Evan angrily asks Scott what he’s doing at Cam’s, and Scott drunkenly replies that Cam invited him. Evan tells Scott to take his hands off Jenna, who’s just a teenager, like most of the kids here. Sensing the tension, Jenna gets up and goes to the bathroom. Jenna’s sister Sydney tells Evan to relax, but Evan lurches for Scott, angry that he’s not respecting the community’s ways. Scott stands up, and he’s so tall that he towers menacingly over Evan. Evan backs off, walking out of the house as Scott laughs loudly.
Scott clearly doesn’t have the same respect for women that Evan and others in the community do, as he apparently sees nothing wrong with touching and flirting with an underage girl. He also continues to assert his physical dominance to get his way—he’s much bigger and stronger than Evan. Scott uses his imposing stature to intimidate Evan and scare him off, because he doesn’t want to listen to Evan. It’s clear that Evan can’t match Scott in a physical confrontation, so he leaves, defeated. Once again, Scott relies on physical intimidation to get his way, scaring people off instead of heeding their advice.
Themes
